Hey! I thought you and I were going to swap bumpers when we go to Johns later this year for the pig roast? IIRC your bumper has the cutouts too, doesn't it? Mine has cutouts but no piercing. Rats! Might have to get you to take good pics showing the piercings so I can duplicate them.

The thing with the bumperettes isn't the chrome - it's getting the rubber inserts. Once upon a time North Yale Auto Salvage (Bobby Ward) was selling made in USA replacements. I bought a set for the front. (Yikes - 75.00/insert). I installed them and they weren't perfect, but the part that was 'shorter' than OEM was low on the guard and not easily seen. Last I knew he's not there any more.

I'm sure I have 2 sets of the guards. The chrome isn't perfect, but rarely is nowadays unless you want to pay stupid $$$ for them. I can always send you pics when spring arrives. ( he he he, I actually labelled the boxes this time with an inventory list ) Sad part? I left the lists in the shed taped to the boxes. Shoulda put in on the puter.....d'ooohhhh!

 

Thanks! Glad you like the look so far. The back has some rust but i'll probably just wirebrush it and cover it with some good ol' rust paint. SHould do just the trick.

I'm still trying to keep my eye out for a good stone shield. Come to think of it i also need the headlamp housings... Mine are cracked/fiberglassed really badly.

I noticed that they sell a set (stoneshield/housings) for 179 dollars. I might still shop around and see if i can get a better deal before spring.

Rob, Post some pictures of your front bumper. Heck, i remember Allan telling me that apparently the Tamraz's are pretty good repops?? And who can beat that price. I wanted to rechrome my rear too. but i think it's going to be better just to get a repop eventually.

Just you guys wait! I am polishing the bumper as we speak!

 

In other news, Work to begin on Scott's Control arms.

Tomorrow, i finally was able to locate a friend with a sandblasting unit. So, soon to be documented.. THE ACTUAL SUSPENSION PART OF THIS THREAD

(i know, it's about time)

 

Ah, ha ha ha ha ha ha!! You kill me Tony.

Standby, WE are now in control of your thread .
Time and space will cease to exist,
nothing will make sense,
frustration will become the buzzword to cuss by,
your mind will become numbed and your body exhausted
............ as you now enter the as you enter the 'The Twilight Zone' of Olds restoration.....(apologies to Rod Serling

 

WooHoo, suspension work!

Very nice bumper.

Allan, I wish I had known about your parts searching services about a year ago

 

To be honest, I forgot there was suspension work going on here!
Rest of the car is coming out great.

I'll try to get one the next time she comes out of the garage. No way to get one now.

I would be up for the swap alright. However that would be a few years down the road when she is all done and I can get to take a 3 week vacation. Would be a fun journey, for sure!

Sure, send me some pics of the guards, whenever. I plan to just put some short stainless carriage bolts into those holes, providing I ever get the bumper on the car!

 

Yup, Tony gets to do now what Rob and I did last year. I get to do rear suspension this year that Rob did a couple of years ago....it's almost like a virus being passed on from one to another huh?

Actually, I just do the parts finding and searches for fun. I've gotten to know Tony and Rob through the forum and it's developed a great 'long distance' friendship. You're always welcome to join. Sometimes I just luck out though. BTW a year ago I was still working and didn't really have time to do as much on line stuff as I do now. I remember the last month of work (which is supposed to be your wind down time) was busier than ever - including working all week + weekends. God, I miss that!!! (he said with a silly smirk on his face...)

Well pardner, that still works for me too. By then I should be living in BC so the trip down shouldn't be more than 7 or 8 hours? And by then I should have mine pretty much done the way I want it too. Would be a really neat trip. I'm already looking forward to it. We should let John know about a month in advance so he can clear the Sasquatches out of the fire pit they're camping in.....

I'll prolly get you to measure and shoot some pics of the piecings for me. Then I can match them up to my bumper and go for it.

 

Suspension news:

So i decided to try to remove the old BJ's as well as Bushings.

HOLY GEEZ is that alot of work...... I had to hacksaw the old bushings in 3 places and chizel the out. We tried with a 30 ton press and they wouldn't budge.

I shall take some more pictures tonight, it looks like i wasn't the first one that tried to remove these bushings. there's a couple gouges in the material where the bushings set. You guys will have to let me know if the driver lower control arm is safe to use.

Here is a small preview of what they look like.

 

They look much better now!

I found one chrome bench seat release button so far. I think I have another somewhere, but haven't seen it yet. Want me to send just the one or wait to see if I find the other one?

 

Hey Scott,

Thanks! i'll post some pictures post/sandblasting to show the progress. I think the control arm should be okay, i'll post a picture tonight and you guys can give me your feedback.

If you could wait to see if you find another **** that would be no problem, i shall probably be making another order from the cutlass depot soon so we can budle all the shipping costs together.

 

Looking good Tony. Ha ha ha ha ha, You're just starting to find out how much work it is. It gets better (or worse) depending on how you look at it. But when you're done you'll have CAs that look and function just as nice as ones you would have bought for 400.00 but at a fraction of that cost. Plus you did it yourself! (The last part means more to me than anything else)

But that's just the lowers. They are the easiest to do. It's the uppers bushings that are a PITA. You will not be able to cut them out because the upper control shaft goes through them. You couldn't get them out with a 30 ton press??? Somethings wrong with that picture. A 30 ton press could crush that control arm like a pretzel. I did mine with just a ball joint press and Mr. Pipes. Each bushing represents about 1+ hour of sweat equity. Here's what 39 year old bushings looked like after they gave up the struggle:


Let those cure for at least a week before you press in new bushings and ball joints. I know you said you put one really heavy coat on; and it takes more time for that to cure than several thin coats. You could try 'baking' it to shorten your wait time. Just put it in your oven on a really low temp like 100 for about an hour. Then, put on a bib and dig into the most delicious and tender Control Arm Roast you've ever tasted

BTW, I painted mine with POR15 after using the POR metal ready. I love the way the paint self levels. Took 2 days to get both the top and bottom done. As you might have found out by now, you wear gloves and long sleeves or coveralls to keep that $hit off you. Otherwise it's on until you slough that layer of skin.


BTW, did you order new upper/lower rubber bumpers?

 

Tony is back from working on the west coast, and what does that mean?

ITS TIME TO GET THIS CUTLASS READY TO RIDE.

I was lucky, the day before i flew out to seattle i got a message from Dave (boondocker) saying that he would give me a free metal hood. Thanks Dave! Good thing too, because my hood was scrap. Here's what my New/old hood looked like when i got it.



So i sanded it down, a little bit of welding magic, and the hood is good as new (Okay fine, about 30 hours of work later). Hood is currently sitting on primer waiting for my bamboo paint gun to come out of storage.



Let me know what you all think!

Cheers,

Tony

 

Jeez, I was beginning to worry about you bud. Too much work...Glad to hear you're back in the swing.

Hood looks great. Lots of 'pin holes' and stuff to weld up? Don't forget, now that you have a W29 hood (hee hee hee - you know what's coming don't you?) you're going to need the W29 stencils to paint the lines on it. I think your car is going to look killer with the 'black' hood stripes and 'black' body side stripes and those 'reconditioned' 442 grills! Did you get my email about the SS111 wheels? Still up for grabs.

We missed ya Tony! Good to have you back..

 

Thanks Al!

Yup i replied to your email, where is that guy located?? That's a hell of a good price, i dont need wheels... but if it's close enough i might just go grab em'.

I've carefully measured and made my own stencils out of the w-29 hood stripes. I can share them with people here if anyone is interested.

So you think the black stripes would look good?? Is that what a W-29 Cutlass 'S' in bamboo would have come with??

 

Heck yes! The W29 package included the hood, body side and trunk stripes. You have all the references in your AM. I think it would look 'uber cool' on your Bamboo paint! Only I would go with the wider W30 stripes like I have - I just like them better. Add those SS111's and and black vinyl roof......ooops, got carried away there. I'll reply to the other stuff via PM or email.

Don't throw out the old hood just yet. ah64pilot had his body guy cut the front inner liner out of the hood and attach it to a fibreglass OAI to give the front structure for the hood latch (+T44 hood lock) and tie downs. It's an interesting thing to ponder right now.

Gas tank tonight huh? I'll be waiting. Still haven't made the buy on the Spectra unit just yet (it's in stock, so I can have it tommorrow if I want). Did you get the replacement straps, hardware and fuel line stuff yet?

Question: so when you dropped your tank, you had to undo the ground by the crossmember the filler neck goes through? With the bumper off, that should make things work easier right? I know with the tank out of the way, it's going to be easier to get to the rear suspension/axle You know what's likely going to happen in my garage already don't you....the DREADED MAW's.

 

YOU BET,

Already got a MAW from the rear end. Gonna replace the shocks, clean up the diff, clean up the rear frame while i have access. And i also need to drain the diff fluid.

My differential filler plug is FROZEN in there damn good. I've been drowning it in Penetrating oil for weeks. but no luck.

Should i try heat?? my gas tank is out so no risk of ka-boom right now!

 

Welcome back Tony! The hood is looking good.

I like Allan's thinking on stripes. But I prefer the W-29 side stripes. Everyone has the W-30 stripes Black would look good for the stripe, but what about gold?

 

I guess either the W29 or W30 stripes would be ok. Most of us like the W30 stripes for their boldness. The W29 ones tend to disappear into the car especially from angles or a distance. I know Tony will decide what he likes best. I suggested black as a contrast to the bamboo. But dark brown also works. Reason I'm not too supportive of gold ones (apologies if feathers ruffled) is that it will blend into the car too much and not really be seen. Dark brown would probably be a good alternative to black because the interior color is saddle. This is where someone with photoshop could draw up 3 different versions to see the best effect and post them??

 

Now that you mention it, I think you are right about the Gold, but brown is a good idea.

 

W-29 stripes?? I think im missing something, what do they look like??

Everyone knows the w-30 stripes! But i'd like to try whatever looks best on my car.

When my dad had his cutlass in '72, he had a red pinstripe down the side. And no hood decals (because it was a cutlass 's'). I usually agree with my dad, but i just won't put red paint on a bamboo coloured car...

Back to the factory style stripes, i would just like to get whatever looks best. What colours were the stripes from factory?? Just black and white??

 

Hey By the way,

I posted a while back about removing my gas tank. ACTUALLY the gas tank is pretty intact. It's just completely covered in sludge and grease. Which i guess stopped it from completely corroding. I have installed the new sending unit and will probably reapply a nice coat of either paint or undercoating. Not sure which yet.

Ideas?

 

Well Tony, W29 body stripes are the 3 thin ones that went along the side in place of the side molding. FYI, you can have them in any of the Olds colors for that year - says so in the Ordering Guide.

This pic is scanned from the factory literature. Sorry it's not quite as clear. When I scanned it it was 3.03 megs, downsized to about 300kb you lose some of the detail. BTW note the license plate? It's showing 1 4M 344? translation: 71, 4speed built at lansing 344 - yup 442 code. I think they hoped no one would notice that in the promo. As you know, the 72 year wasn't supposed to be this body style. The 71 was supposed to be the last year of this style.




Yeah, short of cleaning all the crud off the car and making it stainless again? I'd go silver. A nice silver rustoleum - would look good and also protect against corrosion.

 

The assembly manual shows the layout and dimensions for the W-29 side stripes.

I think it also shows the recommended stripes colours for each car colour.

 

Can't hurt. While you're at it, why not drop the rear axle and clean it up? Disconnect the brake lines, control arms, shocks and lower it out. The u-joint is an easy disconnect and pull the driveshaft out. You probably need new u-joint anyway. You can clean the driveshaft and detail it too - just make sure you find the indexing mark for reinstallation. Much easier to work on that stuff when it's not attached to the car.

You know this is the right way to go. Especially since you need to get under the car and clean up all that ugly scaly rust....... What are fiends, oops I mean friends for, if not to encourage.

 

Mini update,

Stone shield and headlamp housings painted and ready to semi install. I might touch them up again with another coat of paint to have them really shine.

 

That looks really good.

 

Tony, what's with the 71 rocket emblem? Do you need one for 72?

 

Looking like progress Tony - keep it up!
If you drop the axle, definetely replace the bushings in it and the rear center brake hose - super easy when the axle is down and out.
Front end parts look great so far.

 

Thanks for the enthusiasm! FINALLY my front end is starting to look like a real car.. 2 years of saved up parts, brackets, screws, grilles and i'm almost ready to grab some photos.

(Please be warned, I'm not "finished" painting the car yet) I've got probably another two light coats, then some buffing, then some clear. It's not perfect, but at least i can say i did it myself.

Hey Al,

That's the only front end emblem that i have (managed to salvage it from the old stone shield)! The 72 one has a black background right? I'll be keeping an eye out on ebay.

Rob,

I REALLY want to rebuild my differential, Not that there's anything wrong with mine. But it could probably use a freshen up. It's a peg leg though, not sure if you can 'freshen up' a peg leg?

 

I've got one that I'm not using. When I get it out I'll send you an email with a pic. You pay shipping and it's yours.

 

Hey Al,

Wow that would be great! I appreciate the help! I remember you saying a couple months back that you have a NOS one on your car, is the extra one you have the original from yours?

 

Ah my young padawan...the force has given you great insight. Yes it was the original from my car.

 

Anything off your car is like a brand new part to me

 

Ignore the crappy self-propelled paint job, and its starting to look like a real car!\

New bumper, grilles, stone shield, headlamp housings and hood.

Thanks to all for the help and parts along the way.

 

Good job Tony! That line ^^^ sounds like it came straight out of 'Pinochio'. - I just want to be a real boy

 

That looks really good, Tony.

 

Thanks!

I've taken a bit of a break on the front end and have been working on the rear for the past 2 days.

FINALLY got that BLASTED drain plug out of my diff.... Wanna know how? 2 tanks of mapp gas and a 2 foot breaker bar, i'll be damned if that thing didnt wanna come out

So i took the cover off, it smelled like rotting sewer in there, but at LEAST there was fluid in the diff. I wirebrushed the hell out of the cover (probably 4 layers of rattle can paint) and gave it a nice coat of argent silver. It's probably not OEM, but i really like the way it looks (and besides i had rust paint left over from my grille adventure)

Also, i sandblasted the heck out of my spare rim and painted it bamboo with the leftover rust paint i had mixed up. Here is a picture.

 

Tony my main man! That's a big improvement. Have to ask though....is it the lighting or does it need another coat of bamboo? The color looks thin in places...

OH! BTW last weekend I was down in Red Deer helping Curtis take apart some pieces of the 72 Cutlass S he bought for parts. When I was taking off the interior windlace and weather strip channels, I see the factory color - code 81 - guess what that is??? Duhhh. Also it has the saddle interior - just like yours. VIN is 3G87H2M1XXXXX Built in 3rd week of Nov 71. Does that sound close to yours? It's also a 350 2bbl with power drum brakes and AT. Just a tidbit I thought I'd share with ya!

 

Cool! Mine is 3G87H2M146740, maybe they were next on the assembly line?

So maybe a couple bamboo/saddle/350/2bbl/drum/AT cars were built in a row to avoid confusion???

 

Yeah LOL, I think they were a few weeks apart. I forgot to write down the VIN, but asked Curtis to get it for me. Are you going to detail your firewall? When I popped the hood of Curtis's 72? The Blue/yellow inspection stamps were still there and in great shape! Pics are still on the camera - I'll download it later for you.